First Meeting
by Awesomness the Author
Summary: Oneshot, but that may change soon. Set between the Curious Village and the Diabolical Box. It's the last day before Professor Layton's holiday, but he's still marking assignments. Luke tells Flora the story of the day he first met Layton to pass the time.


Disclaimer: I don't own Professor Layton or anything related to it.

This is my second fanfiction but I still haven't had any reviews. So please, review!

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The only sound that could be heard in the university was the scratching of a pen marking assignments.

Luke sighed and checked his watch. It was eight o'clock. He was hungry and wanted to go home. But he couldn't do that until the professor finished marking assignments. On the bright side, after the professor was finished, Layton was taking a holiday. Then Luke could have the professor all to himself. But right now, considering Layton had just started the assignments, that felt like a long way away.

He heard footsteps and looked up. Oh yeah, he had forgotten one minor detail. When the professor took his holiday, Luke wouldn't have him _all_ to himself.

"Hello, Flora!" He looked up with a smile at the girl he had come to regard as a big sister. Flora settled herself in a chair directly opposite where Luke had sprawled himself out with a sigh. He looked at her rigid posture with surprise.

"You might want to get more comfortable. He just started." Flora looked towards the door to the professor's office, and relaxed her posture. Luke sighed again. For a moment, there was just silence.

"You know…" Flora began. Luke gave her his full attention. Anything to escape this boredom. The scrape of the pen against the paper was driving him insane.

"We could tell each other stories to pass the time." Luke hadn't thought of that.

"Well, do you know any good stories?"

"No, but I'm sure you would know plenty. How did you and Layton meet?" Luke laughed.

That's a good one. You can hear it if you want. " Flora settled herself comfortably in response.

"Alright then."

"This happened around two years ago. I was eight years old. I was practically an orphan."

"Practically?"

"My mother died during my birth and my father didn't acknowledge my existence as a result. He was quite wealthy, so it wasn't like he couldn't afford me. He just didn't want me. That's the truth of it. It's kind of funny, actually." He chuckled.

"He had the most amazing house. Everything was first class, even the doors. They had gold or gold leaf on them. Except mine. In the middle of all these grand doors, there was a small wooden one. Inside you would find a bare room. Except for a bed, and a Rubix cube. The Rubix cube was my most prized possession. I cared about it more than my father cared about me. He fed me the scraps from his dinner every night. Don't get me wrong though. They were still good eating. I had very few clothes. And all were in dire need of repairs.

I found, as a result of my fiddling with and eventual solving of the Rubix Cube, that I had a knack for puzzles. I got paid for doing odd tasks that required puzzle-solving skills. My village was hooked on puzzles. We even had a weekend Puzzle Market. It was a lot like Saint Mystere, in many respects.

One day, My favourite stall-keeper from the market was going away for the weekend. It just so happened he was a friend of Professor Layton and he asked the professor to keep his stall for him that Sunday. The professor, being the gentleman that he was, agreed. My favourite stallkeeper put up a very hard puzzle every Sunday. If you could solve it, you got eighty picarats. Professor Layton put up the hardest puzzle yet. Imagine my surprise, when, instead of my favourite stallkeeper behind the desk with his jolly smile, I saw a tall, skinny man with a big top hat. I was confused, but joined the long line of people who wanted to solve the puzzle and get the picarats. Every person in that line walked away stumped.

It was finally my turn. First I asked him what he was doing there. He told me the stallkeeper was away for the weekend, and he was minding the stall. He asked my what I was doing here. I replied that I was solving the puzzle. He said nothing, but I could tell from the hint of a grin and the humour dancing in his eyes he found my statement amusing. He didn't think I could do it." A note of pride crept into Luke's voice.

"I solved it in one go. The professor was astounded, but he handed me the picarats straight away. He told me he was holding a lecture later in the day. He asked me if he would see me there. I told him I didn't have the money. I didn't get allowance, and my meagre earnings wouldn't have been enough to go to a lecture. He laughed at me and pointed to the picarats in my hand. I remembered that picarats could be used for anything puzzle related, lectures included. I muttered, red-faced, that I would come.

He asked a lot of questions of his audience during his lecture. I ran rings around the was the best lecture ever. After the lecture, he came up to me with an offer. He wanted to take me as his apprentice. He told me I had a promising future as a puzzle master. I accepted his offer.

However, before we left, he asked me to take him to see my parents. I took him to the grandest house in the village. He was surprised, and asked if I had tricked him with my poor appearance in order to get "pity picarats". I explained my situation. The professor was mad when I had finished. He left me outside, so I never knew what went on in there, but he came out with my father's permission and signed adoption papers. The rest is history."

"Wow! What a great story!" Flora exclaimed, wide-eyed. Luke grinned, and said,

"Maybe you should hear the professor's side of the story, he tells it much better than I do."

"I will!" At that moment Layton opened the door, and walked out.

"Come on, Flora, Luke. Let's go home." Luke ran for the door. Layton followed. Flora lingered behind for a moment. She definitely would ask the professor later. She definitely would. However, before she could think further, her stomach rumbled, and she dashed to catch up to the others, thinking of the delicious dinner ahead.

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So, what did you think? Tell me if I should do a second chapter from Layton's point of view.


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